1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the forwarding of xe2x80x9cCaller ID dataxe2x80x9d, defined herein to include any non-verbal information containing a calling party""s telephone number, recorded by a call answering device. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and systems for recording Call ID data and transmitting the Caller ID data to remote telecommunications devices on demand, to fully or partially automate the dialing process for remotely calling back a message sender.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Caller ID service has become quite common in telephone systems throughout the country. Caller ID service can transmit a data signal together with the ringing signal when a call is placed. The called telephone receives the Caller ID data signal together with the ringing signal.
If the called telephone has the appropriate display, the name and telephone number (sometimes referred to herein as the xe2x80x9ccallbackxe2x80x9d number) of the calling party is displayed on the called telephone display.
An obvious purpose for Caller ID data is to facilitate call screening. If the called party does not wish to speak with the calling party, the called party can choose not to answer the phone.
Automatic call answering devices have been available for many decades. Examples include modern multi-media messaging systems, voicemail systems and simple answering machines. Single line devices like simple answering machines couple to the customer""s telephone line at the customer""s premises. Multi-line devices like voicemail systems may be coupled to subscriber lines at a telephone company central office or at a PBX.
Although the aforementioned types of answering devices are very different, they operate in similar ways. Typically an automatic answering device answers the customer""s telephone after a programmed number of rings, plays a prerecorded announcement and records a message spoken by the calling party. Most modern answering devices also record the date and time of each message recorded.
A non-obvious benefit of Caller ID service is that the Caller ID service can be used together with an answering device to determine the phone number of a caller who left a message without speaking his phone number or who spoke his phone number in a manner which could not be understood.
Many Caller ID devices have a memory for storing the names and numbers of at least the last twenty-five callers. Many modern Caller ID devices also have a xe2x80x9ccallbackxe2x80x9d option which causes a selected one of the stored numbers to be dialed. The callback option can be used very effectively to return calls to callers who left messages on the answering device without having to write down a number and dial it manually. Unfortunately, this advantageous use of Caller ID data is only available if messages are retrieved at the called number using the answering device physically located at the called number.
Both answering machines and voicemail systems commonly allow customers to retrieve voice messages from virtually any telephone anywhere. When voice messages are retrieved using a telephone having a number different from the number dialed by the callers who left the voice messages, no Caller ID data is available. This situation also exists with cordless phones which, although having the number called by the callers who left messages, were turned off or out of range at the time the message was left.
It is very common for people to call answering devices using cell phones and/or pay phones where, for the reasons described above, no Caller ID information is available. This usually requires the person retrieving the messages to write down telephone numbers of callers who spoke their number and then manually redial the numbers to return the calls.
It would be much more convenient, particularly when using a cell phone to retrieve messages while driving for example, to be able to call back a person who left a message with little manual intervention, for example by simply pushing one button as one would with the call back feature of a Caller ID device, or in some instances with no manual interaction at all.
Some answering devices do collect Caller ID information and allow a person retrieving messages to call back the person who left the message. However, this feature can be very expensive and can result in so-called xe2x80x9ctrombone connectionsxe2x80x9d. For example, if a NY cell phone customer is traveling in CA and retrieves a voice mail message from the person he is trying to meet in CA, an answering device call back feature would result in two coast-to-coast long distance calls, i.e. a trombone connection.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus whereby a call can be fully or partially be automatically placed from a remote location to a person who left a message on an answering device without causing a trombone connection.
It is also an object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus for transmitting Caller ID data from a called answering device directly to the endpoint of the remote user (i.e., their wireless phone handset, ToL (Telephony-over-LAN) PC client, IP phone, or any digital phone such as an Optiset phone, etc.).
It is another object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus for forwarding Caller ID data on demand from an answering device to a calling device other than the calling (message retrieval) device, such as a call control system (e.g., a central office to which the calling device is connected), a Caller ID device associated with but not necessarily part of the calling (endpoint message retrieval) device, etc.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus which automate the dialing process with little or no intervention when calling back a message sender.
Still further, it is an object of the invention to be able to retrieve at a remote location, the telephone number of a party leaving a message on an answering device, without having to write the number down or directing attention (as when driving, for example), to remembering the telephone number associated with the message sender.
In accord with these objects which will be discussed in detail below, the methods according to the invention include (a) collecting Caller ID data at an answering device and (b) transmitting (or interchangeably forwarding) Caller ID data to a calling device which is accessing the answering device for the purpose of retrieving stored messages or simply for the purpose of retrieving Caller ID data.
According to one embodiment of the invention, utilizing a telephone device having a redial buffer (or other form of associated Caller ID data storage), Caller ID data is sent to the redial buffer memory (or associated memory) of the telephone device. The redial button on the telephone can then, for example, be used to quickly call back the person who left the message just retrieved. Only one connection is used to call back and the trombone type connection is avoided.
According to another embodiment of the invention, utilizing a telephone device with a built-in or associated Caller ID device, Caller ID data is transmitted to the Caller ID device when the telephone is used to retrieve messages from an answering device or used to simply retrieve Caller ID data from the answering device. The Caller ID device in the telephone can then be used to quickly call back the persons who previously called the answering device regardless of whether they left messages on the answering device. Only one connection is used to call back and the trombone type connection is avoided.
According to another embodiment of the invention, utilizing a telephone lacking a Caller ID device or a redial buffer memory, Caller ID data is transmitted from the answering device to a call control system (such as the central office of the calling phone, a PBX, ToL Gatekeeper, wireless carrier switch, etc.). Assuming for the sake of illustration only a central office type call control system, the central office (according to one aspect of the invention) provides the calling telecommunications device with the option of calling the number identified by caller ID data. This embodiment of the invention also avoids trombone connections.
The apparatus of the invention includes memory for storing Caller ID information and an interface for transmitting the Caller ID information when messages are retrieved from an answering device. In the case of the first two embodiments, the apparatus utilizes memory of the phone being used to retrieve messages and/or Caller ID data. In the case of the third embodiment, the apparatus includes central office equipment for receiving Caller ID data and dialing phone numbers based on the data.